The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-01


Who has not within the last half genera
+ion heard of an old lady who was to be ad-
mjtted to home when she could produce q
million Cancelled postage stamps? The old
lody's name was never told, nor was her
MACE of abode located any more definitely,
but for years the collection has been going
on. This morning carries chagrin to hun
dreds of people, not only in Philadelphia
and other towns i'll this State, but in Chi
ceCo Boston, Baltimore, New York and
Washington, who have been enthusiastic in
adding to that one of the million stamp col
iactions which was for IAN old lady in Phil
ydplphia, ~ Tho old lady has been found.
hut she never wanted to go into a ''hone''
and never heard of any particular "home"
to which she could secure admission with a
million stamps.
Mrs. Ellen Peterman is "the old lady in
Philadelphia for whom the latest collec-
tion. started in March last, has been in
progress.
In Roxborough and Germantown the
craze spread to the school children, aud the
nroudest scholar in the class was the pupil
who could show up the greatest number of
stamps. In Sunday schools, too the sub
iect was agitated, and tho collection was
largely increased by their contributions
MSny persons who were asked to save their
stamps to aid the old lady to get into
.'horne' Immediately offered money, but it
was respectfully declined.
About a week ago the abSurdity of tho
attempt and the blind way in which it was
being conducted dawned upon the mind of
one Of the young ladies who had been fore
most in swelling the collection. The more
she thought about it, the stronger became
her belief that she and her friend We're dupes
of some one, not neoessarilay dishonest, but
certainly not well balanced For five
months she had been begging stamps from
hundreds of her friends, III the unthinking
belief that she was assisting in a grand
work. She is one of Germantown's society
bellies, and her two pretty sisters were also
in the same predicament, having followed
her lead in the collecting. They did not
want to return the stamps for fear of being
laughed at, but they determined simply to
stop collecting, and turn over the stamps
already collected This they did, giving
$4,000 stamps to DR. j. G. Fling, of Penn
street, Germantown.
THE GERMANTOWN DEPOT.
Since the collection commenced one of
the principal stamp depots was DR.. filings
residence. Here he would almost daily re-
ceve thousands af stamps from persons
who had received them from other persons
who had received them from their friends,
many Of whom had in turn received them
from other persons, etc. In DR.. Eling's mail
also were packages of stamps from scores
Of towns in this State. Reading, Harris
burg, Scranton, Mauch Chunk, Pottsville,
Norristown, West Chester and Chester sent
very respectable quota All the stamps
sent by mail were neatly tied
up in packages of 100 each. At all hours of
the day DR.. filings door bell would call him
to the door to take stamps from persons of
all sizes and conditions. After DR.. Fling
had received what he thought was about So,
100000 stamps he began to wonder whether,
after all, they would do any good. He him
self did not know the old lady for whose
benefit they were being given, nor her resi-
dence, nor her condition i'll life. He under
stood that he was to turn them over to
his wife, who was to give them to friend
vino knew friend of friend of the old
lady, and this friend in turn was to give
them to somebody who had started the col
lection who would see that the old lady was
admitted to .'homen 1t took a reporter
two days to trace the stamps to DR.. Fling,
from whom was obtained this information
as a clue by which to ascertain whether the
old lady was alive, dead or myth. When
Dr.. Fling reads this article be will know for
the first time the name and whereabouts of
the old lady whom he was helping to get
into the home which she never saw and
about which she had but so vaguely heard.
1t was an easy task to find Mrs. Peterman
when the string of middle-women was run
out
THE OLD LADY FOUND.
Mrs. Peternan was found occupying a
single room in the old two-storys brick
dwelling on the southeast corner of Frank
ford road and Allen street, and the neigh
bors to whose kindness she owes SO much
are almost as poor as herself. She seemed
surprised when told what had been done for
her. 1t was supposed by some that she
made repeated applications to be admitted
INTO home" but that not being a desira-
bic patient she had been told that to secure
the admission she would have to collect
l,OO0,OOO stamps, an almost impossible task.
She told the reporter that she had never
Tried to entor any home, although her
friends wanted her to go. She is the last of
her family, having buried her second hus-
band fifteen years ago. Her son died about
year ago, leaving several small children,
the oldest being about II years old. This
boy and one 9 years old pay the rent of
rooms for their grandmother and their
mother by selling papers. The Oldest IS
somewhat of an invalid and is not capable
OF hard work. The 0-year-old boy is trying
TO enter Grard College i'll the fall. He is
the pet of his grandmother, and she takes
great interest III his studies. Both of Mrs.
iVteIlllillS SONS, Andrew ana james JOlll-
son, died of disease contracted in the war
OF the rebellion The family now live
mostly on what is given them, and there is
nodoubt III the minds of the neighbors that
Ile( are worthy of assistance.
MrS. PeteIman said she did not believe
there was anything TO be gained by collect
ing stamps but knew nothing about it, ex-
ceptlng Miss Princes vague statement that
sne mad heard of an instance where a boy
was admitted to ''homo" for million
stamps.
Miss Prince had induced some other per-
sons to begin the collection, and soon there
were many volunteers.
SOME OF TIE Contributors.
Mrs. G. Elmer Smith, of 055 Warnock
S'feet was one of the first in the work; she
nus contributed about $4,000 stamps OBJ
SSiHied from John Wanamaker's Mrs.
mckenzie, of 4106 Germantown avenue,
mas has collected about 10000; Mr., James
HHltchen's friends gave about 10000. Mr..
ueoige Yocum, of the Pennsylvania rail
Io'u Office at Chicago, has given thousands.
S 0hG school at Roxborough collected about
-uuVo. Last week DR.. Fling received
PUHkage from Harrisburg containing $4,000.
"hat will be done with the stamps is not
SSiioWn 1t has been suggested that when
uIM ietcrman isput in "home" that her
!!ipoIl be paperod with them. II is said that
rney wiz bring a good price in London,
were 1t has become fashionable to decorate
io {lliil with stamps.